After a wild week, we've had some big jumps and some major falls - here are this week's MLB power rankings: (stats current going into 18 Aug.)
30. Texas Rangers (48-76) Last Week: 29
There's not much nice to say about the Rangers, who are 25 games out in the AL West. Texas hasn't found a decent starter to help out ace Yu Darvish. The Rangers have the worst ERA in the American League at a whopping 4.81.
29. Colorado Rockies (49-75) Last Week: 30
The Rockies aren't much better than the Rangers, but at least Colorado is doing something well - their .275 average this season is the best in Major League Baseball up to this point. The solid average has been useless, though, thanks to Colorado's horrific pitching - the Rockies have the worst ERA in baseball at 4.96.
28. Houston Astros (52-73) Last Week: 28
The Astros stay near the bottom of our rankings in spot number 28, but they'll be playoff contenders next season if they can improve their pitching staff. Houston has built a strong lineup of young sluggers who have combined for 137 home runs on the season - the third-best total in the Majors.
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (53-71) Last Week: 26
The Diamondbacks slip to number 27, but Arizona has to be happy with the resurgence of Trevor Cahill. Cahill has won his last three starts, and is now 4-2 since being recalled from Triple-A in the middle of July. If Cahill can continue to recapture his old form, he'll give the Diamondbacks a valuable chip to trade or build around going forward.
26. Chicago Cubs (53-70) Last Week: 27
The Cubs are still at the bottom of the NL Central, but Chicago's front office looks like they've guided the Cubs in the right direction looking forward. The Cubs appear to have found a gem in right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who's now 4-1 through six starts this season. In those six starts, Hendricks has an ERA of just 1.73.
25. Philadelphia Phillies (54-70) Last Week: 23
The Phillies continue to endure a tough 2014 season that started off with a lot of hope. Philadelphia failed to provide their lineup with any sort of spark at the trade deadline, and they'll have to be active in the offseason if they want to move this team in the right direction. The Phillies are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, and they're now 16 games out in the NL East.
24. Minnesota Twins (55-67) Last Week: 24
The Twins have been unable to keep on pace in the AL Central, as the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers continue to create space at the top of the division. Minnesota's pitching staff has an ERA of 4.39 this season, one of the worst totals in the Major League Baseball.
23. Boston Red Sox (56-67) Last Week: 25
The Red Sox continue to sink in the AL East standings, and they're now 14.5 games out of first place in the division. Boston is currently trying to upgrade their lineup with Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who they're hoping can be the next Yoenis Cespedes or Jose Abreu.
22. New York Mets (59-66) Last Week: 20
The Mets fall back to the number 22 spot this week. New York has had one of the weakest offenses in the Majors this season, putting up just a .236 batting average as a team. To make matters worse, star David Wright has been on the bench lately dealing with shoulder soreness. Wright is having his worst season since 2011, when he was only able to play just over 100 games due to injury.
21. San Diego Padres (58-65) Last Week: 21
The Padres have somehow managed to stay in third place in the NL West, despite having the worst offense in Major League Baseball. San Diego ranks last in almost every offensive statistical category, and the Padres have only hit for a .226 average as a team.
20. Chicago White Sox (59-65) Last Week: 22
The White Sox continue to find young talent to boost their lineup, as third baseman Connor Gillespie hit a grand slam that triggered a six-run sixth inning in a 7-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Gillespie is in his second season with the White Sox and looks to be the Chicago's long-term answer at third base.
19. Cincinnati Reds (61-63) Last Week: 15
The Reds continue to fall off the pace in the NL Central race, and Cincinnati is now 8.5 games out of first place. The Reds lost a weekend series to the Colorado Rockies, and allowed Colorado's Michael Cuddyer to hit for the cycle for the second time in his career on Sunday. To make things worse, third baseman Todd Frazier is listed day-to-day with a sore back that's now kept him out of four straight games.
18. Tampa Bay Rays (61-63) Last Week: 19
The Rays move up a spot to number 18 this week, despite losing a weekend series to the New York Yankees. Joe Maddon has managed to somehow keep this team within 10 games of first place in the AL East despite injuries that have plagued the Rays all year. Tampa Bay starts this week with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.
17. Cleveland Indians (62-61) Last Week: 17
The Indians took a three-game series from the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, and are only six games out of first place in the AL Central. Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana have carried the Cleveland lineup, with Brantley hitting for a .319 average and Santana blasting 21 home runs.
16. Miami Marlins (62-62) Last Week: 18
The Marlins have a dead-even .500 record and trail the division-leading Washington Nationals by eight games. One can't help but wonder how far back Miami would be if Jose Fernandez was still in the rotation. It will be interesting to see the 2015 version of this team, and how Fernandez looks after returning from such a major injury.
15. Toronto Blue Jays (64-61) Last Week: 13
The Blue Jays continue to suffer in the dog days of August, going just 4-11 this month. Toronto is hoping to reverse this trend in time to build some playoff momentum, and they're off to a solid start - Edwin Encarnacion homered in his return from the disabled list in a 7-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
14. Atlanta Braves (64-60) Last Week: 16
The Braves prevented the Washington Nationals from increasing their lead this weekend, sweeping the Oakland A's in a series at Turner Field. Atlanta trails the Nationals by six games in the NL East, and the Braves need their bats to turn up a notch if they want to catch the Nationals. Atlanta has scored the third-fewest amount of runs in the Majors, with only 463 so far.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (64-60) Last Week: 10
The Pirates slip to the number 13 spot in our rankings this week after being swept by the Washington Nationals this weekend. Pittsburgh's star player Andrew McCutchen was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a rib injury, but could return as early as Thursday.
12. New York Yankees (63-59) Last Week: 14
The Yankees move up to the number 12 spot after finishing their road trip with a winning series against the Tampa Bay Rays. New York sits a half-game above the Toronto Blue Jays in second place in the AL East behind the Baltimore Orioles. Yankees' rookie Masahiro Tanaka is throwing for the first time since his elbow injury in early July, but there's still a lot of distance to cover in his rehabilitation. New York hopes he'll be able to pitch by early September.
11. San Francisco Giants (65-58) Last Week: 11
The Giants hold down the eleventh spot this week, despite only winning four of their last 10 games. San Francisco trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by 3.5 games in the NL West. First baseman Brandon Belt returned to the disabled list after suffering from concussion symptoms - he'll visit a specialist in Pittsburgh while the Giants travel to Chicago, and the result of that examination will determine his likely return date.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (66-57) Last Week: 9
The Cardinals are now three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central. St. Louis and Milwaukee spend the rest of the season battling each other for the NL Central crown, as the Cardinals currently hold down the first Wild Card spot. Mike Matheny's team will have to produce more at the plate if they want to avoid the play-in game.
9. Detroit Tigers (66-56) Last Week: 7
The Tigers have called up former All-Star Jim Johnson following their 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners Saturday night. Detroit has now drifted 1.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central race, and the Tigers hope to see the return of Justin Verlander this Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Detroit initially feared that Verlander's shoulder injury would be season-ending, so having him back will be a major bonus.
8. Seattle Mariners (67-56) Last Week: 12
The Mariners' rotation has posted the best ERA in Major League Baseball this season at 2.95, yet Seattle still trails the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. The Mariners took a scare on Saturday when ace Felix Hernandez was hit by a ground ball that forced him to leave the mound in the fifth inning. Hernandez is not expected to miss his next start.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers (70-56) Last Week: 4
The Dodgers slip to the seventh spot this week, but still lead in the NL West by 3.5 games over the San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles is currently battling injuries that have placed Hyun-Jin Ryu, Juan Uribe, Hanley Ramirez and most recently, Josh Beckett on the disabled list. The Dodgers will have to continue to battle through these injuries to retain their postseason spot.
6. Kansas City Royals (68-55) Last Week: 8
There hasn't been a better team in Major League Baseball this month than the Kansas City Royals. The Royals have gone 13-3 in August, and have won eight of their last 10 games. The Royals' fantastic August has included two huge series wins against the Oakland A's.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (70-55) Last Week: 5
Just when the Cardinals thought it was their time to take over the NL Central, the Brewers raised the bar with consistently excellent play. Milwaukee has won four in a row, and they just capped off a weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers that has them sitting comfortably three games above St. Louis.
4. Washington Nationals (69-53) Last Week: 6
The Nationals swept the Pirates this weekend, extending their lead at the top of the NL East to six games. Washington has won their last six, and they've now dropped just two of their last 10 games. The Nationals will continue a homestand this week that includes matchups with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants.
3. Baltimore Orioles (70-52) Last Week: 3
The Orioles have literally blasted their way into a seven-game lead in the AL East. Baltimore has hit 152 home runs this season, more than any other team in Major League Baseball. Nelson Cruz is tied with Chicago White Sox' outfielder Jose Abreu for most home runs in the American League at 31.
2. Oakland Athletics (73-51) Last Week: 1
The A's were swept by the Atlanta Braves this weekend, allowing the Los Angeles Angels to catch Oakland and tie them at the top of the AL West. Oakland has only won three of their last 10, and will have to rely on their-recently acquired pitching to help them through this rough patch.
1. Los Angeles Angels (72-50) Last Week: 2
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Angels are this week's number one team. Los Angeles took advantage of Oakland's slump to catch the A's at the top of the AL West, and if Mike Scioscia can get Josh Hamilton out of his slump, the Angels could be the most dangerous team in Major League Baseball entering the 2014 postseason.
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